Lohri: let darkness vanish – The Hindu

Lohri is a very significant religious and cultural festival celebrated across north India. Offering thanksgiving to the Sun God, Lohri heralds the end of the dark, dreary winters and the beginning of warm days. It also signifies cleansing oneself of inner darkness and seeing the light of divinity. Anthropologically, it is related to the agricultural calendar. It heralds the harvesting of Rabi crops. It is linked to the solar calendar, said Prof. Kumool Abbi. It marks the movement of the Sun from Makar (Capricorn) to the north, signifying the last day of the month of Paush. A bonfire is lit and oblations are offered to the sacred fire. ‘Aadr Aaye daridar jaye’ (may honour come and poverty vanish) is chanted and sesame, peanuts, popcorn, puffed rice and jaggery are offered.

The fire is considered to be alive and pure. A solemnisation of marriage or the birth of a male child is celebrated. The festival of Lohri signifies abundance, bounty, prosperity, fertility, symbolising joy, brightness, warmth, continuity, copiousness; above all, it is a celebration of community spirit. With modern sensibilities, values and education, there has been a positive social shift and daughters are also celebrated: dhiyam ki lohri has emerged as a new custom.

Lohri is a precursor to the festivals of Maghi, Pongal and Bihu throughout India. The Sikh religion commemorates the sacrifice of 40 muktas and the Maghi Mela at Muktsar. Lastly, the festival of Lohri invokes many legends, the most popular being the one linked to Punjab’s Robin Hood, Dulla Bhatti; an outlaw during the reign of Akbar, he is credited with saving the honour of two Hindu Brahmin girls and got them married on Lohri. The sight of children going around homes, chanting Sundri Mundri ho, tera kaun vichara ho, Dulla Bhatti wala ho, asking for Lohri, is an integral part of the Punjabi folklore.